LITERARY TERMS for MODERN LITERATURE
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AllegoryThe representation of abstract ideas or principles by characters, figures, or events in
narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form.
Alliteration-
The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of several words in a line
of poetry. ie.Marilyn Monroe
Ambiguity-
When an author leaves out details/information or is unclear about an event so the reader
will use his/her imagination to fill in the blanks.
Anacoluthon-
Disruption of syntax to create intensity, excitement, confusion. “Swear here as before
that you never shall note that you know aught of me.”
Anaphora-
Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines in a poem.
Anapodoton-
Deliberately creating a sentence fragment by the omission of a clause: "If only you came
with me!" If only students knew what anapodoton was! Good writers never use sentence
fragments? Ah, but they can. And they do. When appropriate.
Anecdote-
A short story or joke told at the beginning of a speech to gain the audience’s attention.
Antagonist-
The protagonist’s adversary.
Anti-climatic-
When the ending of the plot in poetry or prose is unfulfilling or lackluster.
Aposiopesis-
A figure of speech wherein a sentence is deliberately broken off and left unfinished, the
ending to be supplied by the imagination, giving an impression of unwillingness or
inability to continue. An example would be the threat "Get out, or else—!" This device
often portrays its users as overcome with passion (fear, anger, excitement) or modesty.
Apostrophe-
When a character speaks to a character or object that is not present or is unable to
respond.
Asyndeton
Using no conjunctions to create an effect of speed or simplicity: Veni. Vidi. Vici. "I came.
I saw. I conquered." (As opposed to "I came, and then I saw, and then I conquered.")
Been there. Done that. Bought the t-shirt.
Assonance-
The repetition of the same vowel sound in a phrase or line of poetry.
Climax-
The turning point in the plot or the high point of action.
Colloquial-
Informal, conversational language. Colloquialisms are phrases or sayings that are
indicative of a specific region.
Connotation-
An idea or meaning suggested by or associated with a word or thing, ie. Bat=evil.
Convention-
An understanding between a reader and a writer about certain details of a story that
does not need to be explained.
Consonance-
The repetition of consonant sounds in a phrase or line of poetry. The consonant sound
may be at the beginning, middle, or end of the word.
Contraction-
Removes an unstressed syllable and in order to maintain the rhythmic meter of a line.
This practice explains some words frequently used in poetry such as th’ in place of the,
o’er in place of over, and ‘tis or ‘twas in place of it is or it was.
Couplet-
Two rhyming lines in poetry.
Deus ex machina-
Term that refers to a character or force that appears at the end of a story or play to help
resolve conflict. Word means “god from a machine.” In ancient Greek drama, gods were
lowered onto the stage by a mechanism to extricate characters from a seemingly
hopeless situation. The phrase has come to mean any turn of events that solve the
characters’ problems through an unexpected and unlikely intervention.
Diction-
Word choice or the use of words in speech or writing.
Denouement-
The final resolution or clarification of a dramatic or narrative plot.
Doppelganger-
The alter ego of a character-the suppressed side of one’s personality that is usually
unaccepted by society. ie. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis
Stevenson- Mr. Edward Hyde (hide) is Dr.Jekyll’s evil side
Elegy-
A poem or song composed especially as a lament for a deceased person.
Emotive language-
Deliberate use of language by a writer to instill a feeling or visual.
Enallage-
Intentionally misusing grammar to characterize a speaker or to create a memorable
phrase. Boxing manager Joe Jacobs, for instance, became immortal with the phrase,
"We was robbed!" Or, the editors of Punch magazine might tell their British readers,
"You pays your money, and you takes your chances."
Enjambment-
The continuation of reading one line of a poem to the next with no pause, a run-on line.
Epic-
An extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language, celebrating the feats of a
legendary or traditional hero. Your weekend, dude. BARF.
Epilogue-
A short poem or speech spoken directly to the audience following the conclusion of a
play, or in a novel the epilogue is a short explanation at the end of the book which
indicates what happens after the plot ends.
Epiphany-
Sudden enlightenment or realization, a profound new outlook or understanding about the
world usually attained while doing everyday mundane activities.
Epistolary-
Used to describe a novel that tells its story through letters written from one character to
another. (Perks of Being a Wallflower)
Epistrophe-
Repetition of a concluding word or endings: "He's learning fast; are you earning fast?"
When the epistrophe focuses on sounds rather than entire words, we normally call it
rhyme.
Euphemism-
The act of substituting a harsh, blunt, or offensive comment for a more politically
accepted or positive one.(short=vertically challenged)
Euphony-
A succession of words which are pleasing to the ear. These words may be alliterative,
utilize consonance, or assonance and are often used in poetry but also seen in prose.
Fable-
A usually short narrative making an edifying or cautionary point and often employing as
characters animals that speak and act like humans.
Figurative language- Speech or writing that departs from literal meaning in order to achieve a special effect
or meaning. Speech or writing employing figures of speech.
Flashback-
When a character remembers a past event that is relevant to the current action of the
story
Flat character-
A literary character whose personality can be defined by one or two traits and does not
change over the course of the story. Flat characters are usually minor or insignificant
characters.
Foil-
A character that by contrast underscores or enhances the distinctive characteristics of
another.
Folklore-
The traditional beliefs, myths, tales, and practices of a people, transmitted orally.
Foreshadowing-
Clues in the text about incidents that will occur later in the plot, foreshadowing creates
anticipation in the novel.
Free verse-
Type of verse that contains a variety of line lengths, is unrhymed, and lacks traditional
meter.
Genre-
A category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, marked by a distinctive style,
form, or content.
Gothic novel-
A genre of fiction characterized by mystery and supernatural horror, often set in a dark
castle or other medieval setting.
Heroine-
A woman noted for courage and daring action or the female protagonist.
Hubris-
Used in Greek tragedies, refers to excessive pride that usually leads to a hero’s
downfall.
Hypallage-
also known as a transferred epithet, is the trope in which a modifier, usually an adjective,
is applied to the "wrong" word in the sentence. The word whose modifier is thus
displaced can either be actually present in the sentence, or it can be implied logically.
The effect often stresses the emotions or feelings of the individual by expanding them on
to the environment. Ex: “restless night,” “clumsy helmet,” “happy morning.”
Hyperbaton-
A generic term for changing the normal or expected order of words. "One ad does not a
survey make." The term comes from the Greek for "overstepping" because one or more
words "overstep" their normal position and appear elsewhere. For instance, Milton in
Paradise Lost might write, "High on a throne of royal gold . . . Satan exalted sat." In
normal, everyday speech, we would expect to find, "High on a throne of royal gold . . .
Satan sat exalted."
Hyperbole-
A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or comic/dramatic effect.
Imagery-
The use of vivid or figurative language to represent objects, actions, or ideas.
In medias res-
A story that begins in the middle of things.
Inversion-
In poetry is an intentional digression from ordinary word order which is used to maintain
regular meters. For example, rather than saying “the rain came” a poem may say “came
the rain”. Meters can be formed by the insertion or absence of a pause.
Irony-
When one thing should occur, is apparent, or in logical sequence but the opposite
actually occurs. Example: A man in the ocean might say, “Water, water everywhere and
not a drop to drink.”
 Dramatic Irony: When the audience or reader knows something characters do
not know
 Verbal Irony: When one thing is said, but something else, usually the opposite, is
meant
 Cosmic Irony: When a higher power toys with human expectations
Litotes-
A form of understatement where an idea is expressed by the negation of its opposite.
“Not bad” means good. “Not unkind” means kind.
Memoir-
An account of the personal experiences of an author.
Metaphor-
A figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used
to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison; this comparison does not use
like or as.
Metonymy-
The use of a word or phrase to stand in for something else which it is often associated.
ie. Hollywood for US cinema, the Crown for UK government, the White House, City Hall
Motif-
A dominant theme or central idea.
Narrator-
Someone who tells a story.
First person: The narrator is a character in the story
Third person objective: The narrator does not tell what anyone is thinking; the “fly on a
wall”
Third person limited: The narrator is able to tell the thoughts of one character
Third person omniscient: The narrator is able to tell the thoughts of any character
Novella-
A short novel usually under 100 pages.
Neutral language-
Language opposite from emotive language as it is literal or even objective in nature.
Ode-
A lyric poem of some length, usually of a serious or meditative nature and having an
elevated style and formal stanzaic structure. An ode celebrates something. John Keats
is known for writing odes.
Onomatopoeia-
The formation or use of words such as buzz or murmur that imitate the sounds
associated with the objects or actions they refer to.
Paradox-
Statement which seems to contradict itself. i.e. His old face was youthful when he heard
the news.
Parody-
A literary or artistic work that imitates the characteristic style of an author or a work for
comic effect or ridicule. i.e. SNL or Weird Al Yankovich.
Personification-
A figure of speech in which inanimate objects or abstractions are endowed with human
qualities or are represented as possessing human form.
Poetic justice-
The rewarding of virtue and the punishment of vice in the resolution of a plot. The
character, as they say, gets what he/she deserves.
Polysyndeton-
Using many conjunctions to achieve an overwhelming effect: "This term, I am taking
biology and English and history and math and music and physics and sociology." All
those ands make the student sound like she is completely overwhelmed!
Prequel-
A literary, dramatic, or cinematic work whose narrative takes place before that of a
preexisting work or a sequel.
Prologue-
An introduction or preface, especially a poem recited to introduce a play.
Prose-
Ordinary speech or writing without metrical structure, written in paragraph form. Novels
and short stories are referred to as prose.
Protagonist-
The main character in a drama or literary work.
Pun-
Play on words, when two words have multiple meanings and spellings and are used in a
humorous manner.
Rhyme-
The repetition of sounds in words
Rhyme scheme-
The act of assigning letters in the alphabet to demonstrate the rhyming lines in a poem.
Rising action-
The events of a dramatic or narrative plot preceding the climax.
Rites of passage-
An incident which creates tremendous growth signifying a transition from adolescence to
adulthood.
Round character-
A character who is developed over the course of the book, round characters are usually
major characters in a novel. Round characters can also be overweight, like Mr. Freeburg
Resolution-
Solution to the conflict in literature.
Satire-
Corrective ridicule. A literary work in which human vice or folly is attacked through irony,
derision, or wit; the goal is to change the behavior/issue. Authors known for satires are
Jonathan Swift and George Orwell.
Simile-
A figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things are compared, often in a phrase
introduced by like or as.
Slang-
A kind of language occurring chiefly in casual and playful speech, made up typically of
short-lived coinages and figures of speech that are deliberately used in place of standard
terms for added raciness, humor, irreverence, or other effect.
Soliloquy-
A dramatic or literary form of discourse in which a character talks to himself or herself or
reveals his or her thoughts without addressing a listener. Typical in plays.
Sonnet-
A poem with fourteen lines. An Italian sonnet subdivides into two quatrains and two
tercets; while an English sonnet subdivides into three quatrains and one couplet. A volta
is a sudden change of thought which is common in sonnets.
Speaker-
The voice used by an author to tell a story or speak a poem. The speaker is often a
created identity, and should not automatically be equated with the author’s self.
Style-
The combination of distinctive features of literary or artistic expression, execution, or
performance characterizing a particular person, group, school, or era. Mr. Freeburg
executes Neo-Old Man Style
Symbolism-
Something that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention,
especially a material object used to represent something invisible.
Syntax-
The ordering of words into meaningful verbal patterns such as phrases, clauses, and
sentences.
Tragedy-
A drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme
sorrow, especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or inability to
cope with unfavorable circumstances. Mr. Freeburg’s social life.
Tone-
Reflects how the author feels about the subject matter or the feeling the author wants to
instill in the reader.